5 Bad Mom Habits That Are Messing Up Our Kids

The other day I walked into my daughter’s room, wait, scratch that, I couldn’t actually walk into my daughter’s room; it was way too messy. There are clothes strewn all over the floor, dolls in various of states of undress were scattered all over the place like victims of a deadly hurricane, and I swear I saw something moving under her bed.

Now, as much as I would love to blame her slovenly ways on someone anyone else, I know the truth. It is all my fault. I am not a cleaner, a neat-freak or even one to hang up their coat. I am a slob. And now my daughter, thanks to me, is too. Of course she is -- they keep telling us little kids are sponges, right?

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This got me thinking, what other bad habitsare we passing on to our children? What else do we complain about in our kids that is really OUR faults? I asked my fellow moms about what bad habits their kids have inherited:

Bossiness As a parent being bossy is part of the job. But what happens when you kid inherits that bossiness? A war of wills, that’s what. This can become more and more intense with frequent bossy-offs with no one being declared the winner.

Drama As one friend said, her daughter acts like, “everything is the absolute end of the world,” but that's what happens when you're a little dramatic yourself. And with kids, it’s usually the most MUNDANE thing that are the end of the world like that you played the Demi Lovato version of “Let It Go” instead of the one by Idina Menzel.

SwearingLanguage is one of those big things that children learn from us parents from pitch to cadence to swearing not unlike a sailor. If you are a frequent user of the “s-word,” “f-word,” or more obscure and/or colorful language, do not be surprised if your kids whip out one of those nuggets of naughtiness on the playground shocking young and old alike.

Nail Biting Children don’t just get our physical traits thanks to genetics, but they pick up on our physical behavior traits by observation. Habits like nail biting, when kids are exposed to them often, become a “normal” thing to do. These habits manifest themselves in all sorts of habits, but trying to stop for the sake of the kids can be a huge challenge.

Smart-ass-nessWhile my daughter inherited my slovenliness, she also acquired a healthy portion of smart-ass-ness from my sarcastic, yet hilarious, husband. The key with smart-ass-ness and kids is teaching them when and when NOT to use it ... say when dealing with the school principal or a cop.